The NFC-leading Detroit Lions are playing the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills in a marquee, late-season matchup that might be a Super Bowl preview today in Motown.

Detroit (12-1) is the odds-on favorite to win the NFL title, according to BetMGM, and Buffalo (10-3) is not far behind as one of the top contenders.

“There’s no place you’d rather be than playing this type of football, this type of team, in December,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

The Lions have won a franchise-record 11 straight games, helping them earn consecutive postseason bids for the first time in three decades.

The Bills are coming off their first loss in eight games, but their 44-42 setback against the Rams didn’t diminish high expectations for a team expected to challenge the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC title.

“You saw a team that’s fighting for their lives to try to make the playoffs in the Los Angeles Rams and they came out ready to play,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said. “And, maybe we didn’t have that type of urgency.”

Allen is favored to win his first MVP award after previously finishing second, third and fifth in voting.

“Means your team’s in a position to make the playoffs and give yourselves the chance to win the Super Bowl,” said Allen, who last week became the league’s first player to throw three touchdown passes and score three times rushing in a regular-season game.

Lions QB Jared Goff ranks third among candidates, according to BetMGM, because he is perhaps the most pivotal player on one of the league’s best teams.

“It’s cool to be recognized in some ways, but it doesn’t really mean anything,” he said. “I want to be holding that trophy at the end of the year, and I know that’s what matters.”

In the offseason, the quarterbacks hit the links together.

“He’s freakin’ awesome,” Allen said of Goff’s golf game. “It kind of displays who he is on the field, too. He’s just very calm and cool and collected when he plays.”

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady isn’t surprised Campbell has transformed the Lions after being exposed to his motivating presence as roommates when they were assistant coaches for the New Orleans Saints.

“He’s as real as it gets,” Brady said. “He’s an incredible coach, incredible teacher. No shock in the world to see the success he’s had there.”

Campbell was even more aggressive than usual on fourth down in Detroit’s last game, trying to keep his injury-depleted defense off the field. He went for it on fourth down five times, and the Lions converted four of them in a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 5.

Even with some banged-up players on defense potentially returning against Buffalo, the Lions may stick with the strategy in the hopes of keeping Allen on the sideline as much as possible.

“We’re not playing their offense on our side of the ball, but they do such a good job over there of holding onto the football and scoring points,” Allen said.

The Lions are tied with Kansas City for the league’s best record, but that doesn’t give them much breathing room to earn the top seed in the NFC or to defend their NFC North title.

Minnesota (11-2) is only one game back in the division, and closes the regular season at Detroit. The Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) are also one game behind in the race for home-field advantage through the conference playoffs.

“We’d love to say, ‘Yeah, 12-1, our division’s wrapped up,’ but it’s not even close,” Goff said. “We have two teams on our heels that are pushing us pretty hard, and we have to keep winning and I’m sure that they’re just waiting for us to lose.”

Buffalo, meanwhile, clinched the weak AFC East nearly two weeks ago. The loss to Los Angeles, however, hurt the Bills’ chances of competing with the Chiefs for the top seed in the conference.

“It’s all a good reminder for us of how competitive this dang league is week to week,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. “A lot of teams take a lot of scars on their way to having a darn good season, and we’re having a darn good season.”

buccaneers at Chargers

The banged-up Buccaneers beat three last-place teams in a row to move into first place in the NFC South. They’re going to need to rely on Baker Mayfield and the offense with several injuries to key players on defense. But Mayfield has to protect the ball better. Justin Herbert and the Chargers came close against Kansas City, but lost another game by three points or fewer. Los Angeles is giving up a league-low 15.9 points per game.

bills at lions

Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for three scores and the Bills still lost last week, a big blow to their hopes of securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Lions can’t afford to lose because the Vikings and Eagles are right behind them in the race for the NFC’s top spot. Three of Detroit’s past five wins have been by three points. The Lions have a depleted defense that could be exploited by Allen.

chiefs at browns

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs keep winning games in the final minute. They are 0-7 against the spread in the past seven games overall. Kansas City is the superior team, but the Browns have played better than their record. Jameis Winston has made them a formidable opponent. This could be the week the Chiefs don’t have to sweat it out, though.

bengals at Titans

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are playing great football. It’s too bad they won’t be playing important games in January. The Titans have struggled to score points, but their defense often keeps things close. It helps Tennessee that Cincinnati is coming off a short week after a road win Monday night in Dallas.

commanders at saints

Jayden Daniels and the offense got back on track before taking a bye. The Commanders are holding onto the final wild-card spot and can’t overlook the Saints with tough games upcoming. The Saints are clinging to slim playoff hopes and Derek Carr is hurt again.

ravens at Giants

The Ravens are coming off a bye after losing to Philadelphia and Justin Tucker’s kicking is one of the team’s biggest areas of concern. It won’t come down to a field goal against the woeful Giants, who turn back to Tommy DeVito.

cowboys at panthers

Bryce Young nearly led the Panthers to an upset of the Eagles if not for a dropped pass. Carolina came close against the Chiefs and Buccaneers, too. Now, they’re favorites against the Cowboys, whose slim playoff hopes took a big hit with a loss to the Bengals. The Panthers look ready to close to the deal.

Jets at Jaguars

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets are favorites in a matchup of two teams that have failed miserably to live up to high expectations. Mac Jones makes another start for the injured Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars seek their first two-game winning streak of the season.

dolphins at texans

Tua Tagovailoa has been outstanding since returning from a concussion and the Dolphins have to keep winning to stay in playoff contention. The Texans are coming off a much-needed bye hoping key players got healthy. Giving the ball to Joe Mixon has helped Houston’s offense get going with the offensive line having issues protecting C.J. Stroud.

colts at broncos

Bo Nix and the Broncos have a three-game winning streak that’s put them in position to earn a wild-card berth. The Colts need a victory to have any playoff shot. Both teams had an extra week to prepare after a bye. Denver is 6-0 ATS as a favorite this season and an NFL-best 10-3 ATS overall this season.

steelers at eagles

There’s drama in Philly despite nine straight wins. Everything will be fine if Jalen Hurts throws a few more passes to A.J. Brown this week and the passing game steps up. The Steelers are No. 4 against the run so Saquon Barkley’s quest to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record could hit a detour. But Pittsburgh is 17th vs. the pass so there’s an opportunity for Hurts and Brown to get in sync. Russell Wilson is 6-1 since taking over as the starter, but the Steelers have a tough stretch coming against the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs.

patriots at cardinals

A three-game losing streak has knocked the Cardinals out of a playoff position. The lowly Patriots should be a welcome opponent for Kyler Murray and Co. New England has kept it close in several games, going 2-5 in one-score games.

packers at Seahawks

The streaky Seahawks have won four straight to take over first place in the NFC West after losing four of five. Zach Charbonnet had a career game last week to balance an offense that relies on Geno Smith’s arm. The good news for the Packers is they’re playing a non-division opponent. Green Bay is 1-3 against the NFC North and 8-1 vs. everyone else. This could be a potential playoff preview because the Packers are going to go the wild-card route.